Since time immemorial, women are catalysts. They determine what men become in life.
The point has been made elsewhere that if you are a male politician with no modicum of respect for women, you’ll be unconsciously committing political suicide.
If you serendipitously act against the power of a woman, you’ll be doing it at your own domestic peril.
Now that 2022 is around the corner, top presidential aspirants will soon be looking for running mates.
Everyone is looking at the vote-rich Central Kenya. In as much as Raila Odinga is trying to climb the mountain, William has an upper hand in Mt Kenya.
UDA seems to be the favourite party among the people of the mountain. It discombobulates me that no politician from Mt Kenya, from MCA to governor, has come out to declare that he will be seeking a mandate on the ODM ticket.
UDA remains a hot cake in the region, at least for now. Nonetheless, there are several steps that Ruto must follow if he wants to become President.
Firstly, and most importantly, his running mate must come from Central.
Secondly, his running mate must be a woman. His running mate should not only be a woman but must be someone who is accepted across the entire Mt Kenya.
Lastly, he must pick a running-mate who is intelligent and sharp and can deconstruct ODM and its leader among the people of Mt Kenya.
The choice of a running mate will determine the number of votes Ruto will get in the mountain. Ruto’s running mate will make or break him. Therefore he must go for someone who will be welcomed by the entire Mt Kenya.
If I were Dr Ruto’s political adviser, I would advise him to look for Martha Karua, aka the Iron Lady.
This is the only lady that fits the above description. She is the only woman politician who is acceptable across Mt Kenya for the following reasons:
Martha stands out because she is the senior-most woman politician among the Gema community. She is highly respected, considering how she stood with Kibaki in 2007 at the time when he was under relentless attack from the opposition that encompassed the Pentagon where Ruto was a member.
She is highly esteemed across the five Central Kenya counties of Kiambu, Murang'a, Nyandarua, Nyeri and Kirinyaga.
Pundits say she was the only “man’ during the Kibaki administration. In that respect, the same way she handled Raila and ODM, is the same way she is likely to neutralise Raila and cut the influence of ODM in Central.
If Ruto picks Karua, she will bring on board brains, courage and a wealth of experience having served previously as Minister for Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs under the Grand Coalition government.
Above all, if Ruto picks Karua as his deputy, he will harvest a lot of women votes not only in Mt Kenya where a woman is highly adored but also across the nation. Women feel proud when one of their own is at the helm of affairs.
As far as her literary museum is concerned, Martha has triumphed in all areas of human endeavours.
Her outstanding meritorious achievement has been acknowledged and celebrated with enthusiasm by Kenyans from every nook and cranny.
Eyes should not be closed to the fact that she is one of the greatest legal minds from Central.
Raila has no option but to fall back on Kalonzo, apologise to him and ask him to be his running mate one last time.
If Raila goes for a Kikuyu running mate, it will make little impact. Raila must not wish away Kalonzo. He is still useful because unlike
Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetang'ula, he has close to 1.7 million votes intact.
Kambas have the best voting history because they usually vote as a bloc. If Raila ignores Kalonzo and picks a running mate from Central, he will risk losing the Kamba vote.
If Kalonzo joins Ruto, Ruto will win round one. But if he goes all the way to the ballot, he will come in third and force the two front-runners to go for a run-off. At the run-off, any candidate can win.
During run-offs, people change their minds. For instance, the few Kikuyus who voted for Raila during round one might decide to vote for Ruto depending on the agreement they will have.
The writer sells bananas in the streets of Kisii town. [email protected]